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Anime Classics Episode 1 – Introduction

Show Notes:

On this episode, we touch on the purpose of the show, who I am, and provide recommendations for 5 classic anime. MAL links to the anime movies discussed in this show can be found below:

Episode Transcript:

Intro:

Are you interested in classic anime but don’t know where to start or don’t know what to check out next? If so, you have tuned in to the right podcast.

Hi, I’m Rowegn, and I’m the host of the anime classics podcast. Right now, you are listening to the very first episode, and I cannot tell you how excited I am that you are here listening to this show right now.

On today’s episode, we are going to discuss what this show is about, why you should trust me to be your host, and then we are going to cap things off with what I feel are 5 solid classic anime recommendations to get you started.

Thank you for listening.

-Intro music

Thank you again for joining us, you’re listening to the anime classics podcast.

We’re going to get started by discussing the purpose of this show.

  • Purpose of show
    • As you may have already figured out, this show is about classic anime, and by taking an interest in classic anime, you have joined a growing group of dedicated anime fans who love older anime.
    • I am one of these fans of classic anime, and I created this show to be a resource for anyone who doesn’t know where to start or is interested in digging further into what the classics have to offer.
    • Thanks to modern technology, classic anime is more accessible than ever. These days you can stream or purchase anime in a wide range of formats
    • And because of the increased accessibility, interest in anime in general has increased drastically in the last 20 years, and consequently, people are taking an interest in older anime.
  • So you might ask, what is classic anime?
    • If you look online, you are sure to find varying opinions. Some people believe that any anime that stands the test of time and somehow influences the industry in a meaningful way is a surefire classic.
    • Whereas other people look at it more from the standpoint of the age of the show or movie. For example, they might say that this would include any anime from the 80s or earlier.
    • So, for the purpose of this show, we are going to look at it from the latter standpoint. And we will consider any anime that released in the year 2001 or earlier to be open for discussion.
  • So why 2001?
    • I’m going to be honest, there are a few reasons for this cutoff year, but 2001 is really just a convenient stopping point. If you look at the anime that came out in 2001, you have movies such as Metropolis and Spirited Away.
    • If you haven’t heard of these movies, Metropolis is the anime adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s manga adaptation of the 1927 black and white movie.
    • If you’re wondering who Osamu Tezuka is, he’s the genius behind Astro Boy and Dororo amongst other anime and manga that you have likely heard of.
    • Spirited Away is often considered one of the greatest animated movies of all time. And this movie was the height of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki cinematic storytelling and animation. And to be honest, it’s one of those animated movies that has transcended the world of anime and achieved mainstream notoriety and acclaim.
    • Obviously there is a lot of great anime that came out after the year 2001, and many of these anime will be considered classics with the passage of time.
    • But by including 2001 in our classic range, we can include Metropolis and Spirited Away on this show.
    • So, with that said, we want to fixate on an era with an analog aesthetic that you just don’t see in modern anime. And this analog aesthetic can be attributed to the traditional hand-drawn and cel based animation shot on film.
    • Modern anime is digitally colored and animated, and although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it makes for a very clear visual distinction when comparing modern anime to the classics. And 2001 is right in the mix of when this transition occurred.
    • This analog aesthetic is one of the many reasons why I am absolutely fascinated with classic anime.

Who am I?

Well, my name is Rowegn, and to be honest, that’s not my real name, but that is the pen name I use on my blog, 90sanime.com, so I decided to stick with it for this show.

By the way, if you are interested in 90s anime, I highly recommend that you stop by and check out some of my latest blog posts and sign up for my mailing list!

But getting back to my story…

  • I’ve been an anime fan since the mid-1990s
    • I have always been into animation, and Saturday morning cartoons were my absolute favorite thing as a kid. But I always felt it would be something I’d outgrow someday.
    • But in the summer of 1996, I visited an aunt for a few weeks, and she let me rent a few movies at the local movie store.
    • That day I went back to her house with Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Appleseed. And over the course of the next 2 days, I watched each movie 3 times and was hooked on anime from that point forward.
    • At the time, my best friend also liked anime, and he and I lived in a small town in a rural area. So we would drive around to the various surrounding communities and rent any anime we found until we couldn’t find anymore.
    • Later on, after I got a job, I started buying anime on VHS. This was either at Suncoast Motion Picture Company in the mall or through the mail order anime service I subscribed to at the time.
    • To be honest, anime was incredibly expensive in the 90s. If you wanted to buy a movie, you were probably spending upwards of 30 dollars, and this was the late 90s. That’s like 50 dollars in today’s money. Which is pretty ridiculous when you’re working a minimum wage job .
    • And this is why I mostly stuck with movies or OVA collections at the time. Because if you wanted to purchase a full series like Dragon Ball Z on VHS, you were spending 20 to 30 bucks per tape for 3 or maybe 4 episodes. So this put most anime shows out of reach at the time.
    • Fortunately, with the benefit of modern technology, we can now go back and watch a lot of these classics for very little cost.
    • And because of this, it is now easier than ever to be a classic anime fan!

Which brings us to the recommendations I mentioned earlier in this show

  • The movies I’m about to mention are mostly sci-fi, but guess what, sci-fi was incredibly popular in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. And this is largely thanks to Star Wars.
  •  So a lot of the best anime falls in this genre. But whether you are a sci-fi fan or not, it is hard to go wrong with any of the movies I’m about to mention.
    • Now, before we get started, you may wonder why I’m limiting this to movies, and not recommending any shows, which is a fair question to ask.
    • My feeling is that movies are an easier commitment than an entire show or series. I realize that we live in the age of binge-watching, but there’s also something to be said for being able to wrap up a whole story in a couple hours or less.
    • So, to that effect, starting with movies is a quick and easy way to cover some of the classics in a short amount of time. This will also give you a taste of some of the best offerings of the era.
    • These movies can also be connected to larger franchises and be a lead into other works by some of the most famous players in the industry.
    • So without further ado, we’re going to kick off with Akira as our first pick.
  • Akira
    • I believe that any serious anime fan should watch Akira at one point or another. To be honest, you may not like it, or you may think it’s overhyped, but this is probably the movie that is most responsible for creating a new generation of anime fans in the early 90s.
    • I am a little biased because Akira is the movie that made me an anime fan. But I have rewatched this movie several times and I can tell you that it has aged well.
    • The movie continues to be popular to this day and this can be seen in the sheer number of re-releases, remasters, and redubbing that the movie has seen over the last 30 plus years.
    • Akira originally came out in 1988, and despite some arguments that you may read, it is in fact a cyberpunk movie.
    • There have been multiple attempts to create a live action version of Akira by hollywood, but we all know how these tend to turn out. But the movie is still an incredible experience.
  • Galaxy Express 999
    • The 2nd choice is one of my favorite movies from the Leijiverse. And we’ll talk more about the Leijiverse here in a minute. But the movie I’m talking about is Galaxy Express 999.
    • To be clear, this is Galaxy Express 999, the movie, and not the tv show. The tv show came out in 1978 and the movie came out in 1979. And the movie can be watched without seeing the tv series, so no worries there if you haven’t seen the show.
    • This one is an easy recommendation given that this gives you some insight into the works of Leiji Matsumoto, remember my Leijiverse reference from earlier?
    • Leiji Matsumoto is one of those masterminds of the anime industry that you are well served to familiarize yourself with.
    • His other noteworthy works include Space Battleship Yamato, otherwise known as Starblazers when it aired in the united states and Captain Harlock.
    • All of Leiji Matsumoto’s works are collectively referred to as the “Leijiverse.” So if you want to dive deep on classic anime, you can’t miss the Leijiverse.
    • If a movie about a traveling space train isn’t quite your cup of tea, then you could watch Captain Harlock, Arcadia of My Youth, as an alternative option instead.
    • Both movies are good, so you can’t go wrong either way.
  • Ghost in the Shell
    • Our third recommendation, is Ghost in the Shell.
    • This is another anime you have probably heard of. What you may not know is that Ghost in the Shell is based on a Manga by famed artist Masamune Shirow.
    • Masamune Shirow also wrote Black Magic M-66, Appleseed, and New Dominion Tank police. So if you enjoy Ghost in the Shell, you’ll definitely want to explore these other anime. I’ll say though, that Ghost in the Shell is heads and shoulders above these other anime in terms of production and animation quality, so keep your expectations in check.
    • The Ghost in the Shell story has stretched over multiple movies, tv shows, and OVAs and most recently into a live action movie with Scarlett Johansen.
    • So whether you liked the live action version or not, Ghost in the Shell is definitely a movie that should be on your radar if you haven’t seen it already.
  • Perfect Blue
    • If psychological thrillers are more your bag, then our fourth recommendation, Perfect Blue, is the perfect movie for you.
    • The movie starts with a pop star making the difficult decision to pursue a career in acting.
    • Unfortunately, this is not received well by all of her fans, and things get dark pretty quick.
    • Perfect Blue was based on a novel and marks the directorial debut of Satoshi Kon, who unfortunately passed away in 2010.
    • But Kon’s legacy lives on in his other works, including Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and Paprika.
    • Perfect Blue remains one of the best anime films that manages to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, and it is definitely one that I consider to be a must-watch.
  • Macross: Do you Remember Love?
    • The last recommendation is a throwback to the early 80s, and to be honest, you might have a difficult time finding this one due to the lack of an official western release.
    • At some point, we’ll dig into the saga of Harmony Gold and Big West. And any macross fan listening to this right now is likely cringing, but the long story short is that the dispute between these two companies has kept the majority of Macross anime from being released outside of Japan.
    • The original Macross was released in the United States as the first season of the Robotech Series.
    • Macross: Do You Remember Love? Our fifth recommendation, is a retelling of the original macros series in a condensed format with new animation.
    • If you didn’t already know, a signature trait of the macross series is that a pop idol is involved in a love triangle with a mech pilot and usually another pilot or another girl. So if you enjoy pop music, romance, and space battles, then you have your pick.
    • Alternatively, you could also watch Macross Plus Movie edition. This movie was made in the mid 90s and was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, who most famously directed Cowboy Bebop.
    • So there you have it, our five recommendations are Akira, Galaxy Express 999, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, and Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Anime thoughts

  • I want to be clear, this is by no means a list of the best classic anime. This is just a list of my recommendations to get a good cross-section of quality classic anime in a short amount of time.
    • There is an incredible amount of anime that spans the decades leading up to 2001. And there are going to be some hardcore anime fans listening to this who are going to disagree with this list, but that’s okay, because I’m sure your list would be just as good, and perhaps better, than mine.
    • So, if you think you have a better list, let me hear about it, send me an email. My email address is rowegn@animeclassics.com. So send me your list and let me know what you think!

What can you expect from this show going forward?

  • As we get ready to wrap things up on this first episode, I do want to take a moment to let you know what you can expect from this show going forward.
  • To be honest, my first priority for this program is to be a resource for classic anime fans.
  • To that effect, there will be plenty of anime review episodes, discussion of anime history, notable events and people within the industry, and a breakdown of some recommendations for the various genres.
  • There is so much to dig into that we will never run out of things to talk about on this show.
  • At some point, I do intend to have guests on this show for interviews.
  • But otherwise, this show is going to evolve and take shape over time, and I’m excited to see where things go.

Closing

  • Well that’s it for today.
    • On today’s episode, we discussed the purpose of this show, I gave a little insight into who I am, and we capped things off with a brief overview of 5 anime movies that are a good starting point for getting into the classics.
    • On next week’s episode, we’re going start the first part of a mini-series that will be a primer on classic anime.
    • Our primer on classic anime will briefly dig into the history of anime as well as provide some insight into the artists, directors, and studios that made the anime industry what it is today.
    • And remember, this show is for you, so if you have any feedback on the presentation or me as a host or even requests for classic anime topics you’d like to hear covered on this show, then be sure to send me an email.
    • You can find our show notes at links at animeclassics.com.
    • Also, be sure to check out my blog, 90sanime.com. This week I have a post about the Brave, or Yuusha, series, so if you love super robot or mech anime, you’re not going to want to miss that.
    • This show is a production of Desmor Media LLC, music is Kaleidoscopes by RomanBelov via Pixabay
    • Thank you so much again for tuning in, and until next time, enjoy some classic anime.

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